Funeral director hired to cremate woman dumps her body in the woods and walks away

A erstwhile ceremonial manager from Minnesota was fixed jailhouse clip aft helium admitted to disposing of a woman's dead body successful the woods alternatively of cremating her.

Benjamin Hanson, 57, pleaded blameworthy connected March 24 to hiding a corpse successful transportation with the betterment of a skull successful a wooded country of Wisconsin successful 2002. After the DNA from the skull was analyzed, the quality remains were identified by the DNA Doe Project successful 2021 arsenic belonging to Alyce Peterson, 92, who died successful July 2001. It was determined that Hanson was a funeral director astatine Simonet Funeral Home successful Stillwater, Minnesota, astatine the time, and helium was liable for cremating Peterson's remains.

Peterson's household had received ashes they were told belonged to their loved one.

According to tribunal documents obtained by section NBC affiliate KARE, Hanson's tenure astatine the Simonet Funeral Home successful the aboriginal 2000s was a troubled one. Investigators spoke to his erstwhile co-workers, including 1 workfellow who filled successful for Hanson during the summertime of 2001 portion helium was "going disconnected the heavy end." This was the aforesaid summertime helium was tasked with handling Peterson's ceremonial and cremation.

Hanson was reportedly fired from the ceremonial location successful 2002 aft helium was accused of stealing from the business. He was besides served with a harassment bid aft helium was accused of swerving his conveyance astatine the worker who replaced him. That bid was aboriginal denied.

On Oct. 19, 2002, Boy Scouts were hiking done a wooded country of Houlton, Wisconsin, erstwhile they recovered a garbage container they soon learned was filled with quality remains, including Peterson's skull. After Peterson was identified done familial genealogy astir 2 decades later, DNA Doe Project lawsuit manager Eric Hendershott said, "This is the archetypal clip that I person seen a Doe identified arsenic idiosyncratic who had a decease certificate and who was supposedly cremated."

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KARE said it was not wide if the remains received by Peterson's household truly belonged to her. Medical professionals who examined her skull said it had apt been severed from her assemblage with a handsaw. Authorities did not person an mentation for however Peterson's skull ended up successful a antithetic authorities oregon wherever the remainder of her remains are.

Hanson was sentenced connected Tuesday to 90 days successful jailhouse aft pleading blameworthy to hiding a corpse. A complaint of theft was dismissed. He was ordered to instrumentality medicine medication, enactment successful intelligence wellness services, and not enactment successful the ceremonial industry.